EFFECTIVENESS OF SCAPULAR STABILIZATION EXERCISES VERSUS TRADITIONAL ROTATOR CUFF STRENGTHENING ON PAIN AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY IN ATHLETES WITH SHOULDER IMPINGEMENT SYNDROME

Abstract

Background: Pain and functional disability are the two complaints most commonly seen to motivate
athletes with shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) to seek physiotherapy care, which frequently
supersedes joint stiffness as the presenting complaint. Both scapular stabilization exercises and
traditional rotator cuff strengthening exercises are effective conservative intervention, but which of
the two more effectively reduce pain and restore day to day and sporting function has not been well
established through direct comparison in an population.
Objectives: i) To evaluate the effectiveness of scapular stabilization exercises for reducing pain and
disability in athletes with SIS; ii) to evaluate the effectiveness of traditional rotator cuff strengthening
exercises on the same outcomes; iii) to compare the two interventions; and iv) to examine the
relationship between pain/disability change and objective mobility change.
Methods: Sixty competitive athletes diagnosed with SIS were randomly divided into two groups of
30 athletes. Group A were given scapular stabilization exercises, and Group B were given traditional
rotator cuff strengthening exercises, 5 times weekly for 6 weeks. The Shoulder Pain and Disability
Index (SPADI) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were used to assess pain and disability at
baseline and post-intervention; goniometric ROM data collected in the same cohort at the same time
was only used for an exploratory correlation analysis.
Results: Both groups showed statistically significant reduction in both SPADI and VAS scores
(p<0.001). Group B demonstrated significantly greater reduction than Group A on every measure:
total SPADI (−24.31 vs −14.85), pain subscale (−25.31 vs −14.95), disability subscale (−23.30 vs
−14.75) and VAS pain (−2.36 vs −1.46) (all p<0.001).
Conclusion: Traditional rotator cuff strengthening was more effective for reducing pain and
functional disability than scapular stabilization strengthening in athletes with Shoulder impingement
syndrome, suggesting that rotator cuff loading exercises should be emphasized when the immediate
clinical objective is pain reduction.